During a session with a client recently, they told me, “I would love to write a book, but I can’t run my business and write a book at the same time.”
They said it as though it were a fact.
Another client this week, a trained and talented artist, told me, “I would love to release an oracle deck, but I don’t think my art is quite there yet. I need to take more classes before I start working on it.”
They said it with the same certainty.
As a coach, when clients tell me their thoughts as though they are proven facts I often explore their beliefs and do the deeper work of understanding how and why they came to hold them so firmly. But in both these conversations, I decided to take a different approach to begin.
I reminded my first client that I have published four books. My first was written during a health crisis. The second book was written during my first year of motherhood. My third book was written in 2020, amidst COVID lockdowns, with two young kids at home full time and while growing my business to multiple six figures.
And book number four, Superabound: Life The Life The Universe Is Dreaming For You, which became a #1 bestseller, was co-written with Steve in short pockets of time in between managing our home life and busy coaching business together.
I shared with her not only how I figured it out, but what my mindset was that led me to do this over and over again.
With my other client, I reminded her that my Superabound Oracle deck, which is now being used by folks all over the world, was created despite the fact that I am not a trained artist. The project would simply not leave me alone, so I figured out how to create it.
I know some coaches might frown on sharing their own experiences this way, but here is why I chose to do it:
It is hard to coach someone on a belief they do not realize is a belief. If you are certain something is impossible, you may never consider trying. And when you do not try, that certainty can stay in place without ever being questioned.
Sometimes hearing that someone else has found a way can offer a glimmer of possibility.
It does not mean their path will be your path, but it can help you see that the conclusion you have reached is not the only one available.
Once you can see a belief as a belief, rather than an unquestionable fact, you have more room to explore it. You can ask whether it is still true, what support you might need, and what a first step could look like.
Time, energy, and resources matter. I would never suggest that writing a book or creating a deck happens simply because you decide to believe it is possible. But once you are willing to question the assumption that you can't do it stop yourself from lining up a list of reasons why, you can start looking at what would actually need to change.
Maybe that means asking for more support, making different decisions about your time, or finding a way to begin that fits alongside the work and life you already have.
If you would like help making time for that more Visionary work, listen to Protecting Your Visionary Projects. In this episode, I share how to give your creative work a place on your calendar and build business systems that support it.
If you are a business owner or leader with an idea you keep putting aside, I would love to help you explore it. In 2027, we can work together on both the thinking that is keeping you stuck and the practical decisions that will help you move forward.
Book a consultation with me, and let’s talk about what you want to create and the support that could help you get there.